Elevator door



Sept. l, 1925-.

C. W. PEELLE ELEVATOR DOOR Filed Dec. 12, 1924 l m INI/Enron Ammer.

Patented Sept. 1, 1925.

v,UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES w. PEELLEOF NEw'YORK, Y., assIGNOR To riHE PEELLE COMPANY, OE

BROOKLYN,A NEW YORK, A coRPORATrON OF NEW YORK.

ELEvaTOR DOOR. E Y' Application filed^ December 12,1924. Serial No.755,443. 'n

To all whom t may concern Be itknown that I, .CHARLES W.' PEELLE,

a"-citizen of the UnitedStates, residingf at Douglas M`anor,'inv theborough of Queens, city fof New York, county of Queens, and State ofVNew York, have invented'certain new 4and useful Improvements in ElevatorDoors, of which the following is aspecification, reference beinghadtherein to the accompanying drawings, which form a Apart thereof.

, My invention relates to elevator doors, and more particularlytoreproof warehouse elevator doorsof the socalledl coun terbalancedpassftype. Thefword pass-type when applied to elevator doors referbroadly to a construc-V tion and arrangement of doors in which the twoVvertically and oppositely movable sections of a door, connected byflexible chains, or other connecting-means passing over isheaves, duringtheir opening movef ment, overlap door sectionsat adjacent dooropeningsaboveor below, or both,the door. opening closed by anyparticular door.' pass-.type construction of door visemployed whenithedoorope'riingat any floor is of la heightwhich does not afford'suflicient'space or guides.

above orV below that opening to receivea door section when' a door isfully' open, even though the doors' at the adjacent floors are closed.Infsomey instances the space betweenthe lintel' of one dooropening andsilll of` the opening above will not eX-.` ceed from Vtwelve to,eighteen inches, while the door sections themselves may be ive'or Formanygyearsffireproof elevator doors havev 'been constructed in which`4the oppo siteand vertically movable sections of each door are eachmounted upon separate lrails These rails or guides haveextendedvertically in parallel relationto each other, both rails commonly beingvcontinuous 'rom`theftop to .the bottom ofV the shaft; orthroughout the.entire series of V, door'openings closed bythe counterbalanced l doors.

With this rail construction, the sections 'of each door have verticalmovement in Opposite directions but in parallel planes.Inflaterdevelopmentsof the pass-type of door, arail construction hasbeen employed by which when the doors are closed their sections kwill bein substantially the same ve1ti. cal"plane,vbut by which, during theopening' movements, the different sections will `have a horizontalcomponent of move` ment permitting them to pass from this plane to aparallel plane so'as to pass, or lap a *door ,at an adjacent dooropening. This last named pass-type of door requires for its convenientvinstallation and opera# tion, a spacing of approximately eighteeninches between the sill of one' door opening and the' lintel of theopening` below, or vice versa, and doors now being extensivelymanufactured have been found adeoluateA to' meet the conditions wheresuficient space is available for their yproper installation. Thisl(,:onstruction of door, from the fire retardant'viewpoint, has theadvantage that when itis closed, both door sections are brought close tothe wall of a shaftso as to afford the minimum clearance` about the doorthrough which, in the event of hre, llames orgases may pass from a shaftto, the Afloor l,of a building, or Yin the opposite direction. i n

` `VThedoors, the sections' ofy which have movement in parallel verticalplanes only, have heretofore possessed the disadvantage that from theviewpointfof fire protection, the f spaces about and vabove the doorsection-p04 sitioned more within the shaft, ordinarily the upper sectionof the door, are such that they permit flames, gases and water to passthe door section,land hence have never been approved by the authoritiesas affording adequate lire protection.

`fVViththe above 'conditions in mind, I have provided an elevator doorin which the two sections have simultaneous, vertical movementinloppos'ite directions in parallel vertical planes, onev of thesesections, the one positionedmore within the shaft, being provided with ashield so constructed that when the door at any opening is closed, andthe door at the adjacent opening is also closed, it will` Yautomaticallyassume a position to substantially completely closethe gap be` tweenthis door section and the elevator shaft, lwhile being capable of `beingmoved to a position which will permit the door'secat the adjacent floor,or the door section at this floor to pass the door carrying the shield.This lintel shield, which may be aptly termed a movable lintel, is soconstructed and mounted upon the door as to afford no material spaces orpassages between it and the top of the door carrying it, when the latteris either in the open or in the closed position. Furthermore, thismovable lintel or shield in its functioning is entirely automatic, itsmovement from its operative position in closing the gap between the doorsection and the wall of a shaft during the movement of a doorcooperating therewith, resulting from the opening` and the closingmovements of the door carrying it, or the door at the adjacent floor, sothat under normal conditions, or when a door is closed, a barriereffective to prevent the passage of flames, smoke, gases and water to orfrom an elevator shaft about the door section is afforded.

Of course it will be understood that the rail structure affords abarrier at bot-h side edges of the door section, and that the other doorsection serves as a barrier at the bottom thereof.

To secure this result and avoid the presence of springs, l preferably soconstruct this movable lintel or shield that while it is permitted tohave pivotal movement t0 and from its closed position, it will be sooverweighted as to cause its automatic action.

In the event of a fire, and the direction of a stream of water from afire hose against the top of a door, there is always likelihood that theforce of this stream, if directed against this lintel or shield, will soactuate it as to permit the water to pass through the gap between thedoor section and the wall of a shaft and also permit iiames, smoke orheated gases to pass between the door sections carrying the shield andthe shaft. To obviate this condition I provide means controlled by afusible medium, whereby in the event of excessively high temperatureswithin the shaft, the movable lintel or shield will be positively lockedagainst movement, and thus obviate the objectionablev conditions abovereferred to.

A door embodying my invention has been found to afford a degree ofprotection with a type of door having sections movable in parallelvertical planes, which has not heretofore been attained by doors of thisconstruction, and one which has been approved by the authorities whoseduty it is to pass upon the adequacy of door structures so far as thereduction of the fire hazard is concerned.

The invention consists primarily in an elevator door embodying thereinconnected sections having simultaneous vertical movement in oppositedirections, guides for said sections respectively extending in parallelplanes whereby one of said sections is more remote from the wall of theshaft than the other, a shield carried by the section more remote fromthe wall of the elevator shaft, and extending therefrom into closeproximity t0 said wall, pivotal supports for said shield, and meansacting upon said shield whereby pivotal movement thereof is permittedupon engagement between same and a door section at an adjacent landing,to afford clearance for relative movement of said door sections, `andsaid shield is caused to automatically assume its normal position whenit is disengaged from said other door section; and in such other novelfeatures of construction and combination of parts as are hereinafter setforth and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claimshereto appended.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. l is a vertical section of elevator doors embodying my invention,upon adjacent floors;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a. portion of the upper door section fromthe floor side of the door;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the portion of the door shownin Fig. 2; and

F ig, et is a horizontal section showing the rail construction and aportion of the movable lintel or shield.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, A indicatesthe door opening upon one floor of a. building, and B the opening uponthe floor below. Closing the opening A is an elevator door composed ofan upper section a and a lower section these sections being mountedrespectively upon guides or rails c and d which extend throughoutsubstantially the entire height of a shaft, similar guides or railsbeing employed adjacent each jamb of the door opening within the shaft.The rails c and Z are carried by what is known as a Wall angle e whichserves as a barrier to prevent flames, gases and smoke from passingabout the sides of the various door sections a and o.

The lower door opening B is closed by a door similar to that closing theopening A, consisting of two sections a and mounted upon the rails c andCZ respectively.

The door at each opening A and B has the upper section a or a mountedupon the rail c, which are positioned inwardly of the shaft withrelation to the rails d, and the lower section b or mounted thereon. Bythis construction a pocket is formedl between each of the sections a-aand the wall of the shaft, Yadapted to receive the lower section, as b,of the door closing the opening of the iioor above, thus permitting theupper section of the door upon one floor to have its top edge positionedin close proximity to the lower edge Aof the'lower door section on aVfloor immediately above. Y' This construcj tion ofthe,doors,`alsopermits the upper sectiony at, onek opening to pass .the lower sectionrof al door atA the landing above, during the vopening,.movemento'f adoor. Hence whentlie door sections are arranged as described,thevup-'per section of any door may pass. the lower section of the doorabove, and the lower sectionl of that door may` pass the, upper sectionyofthe door below,'which I is" a condition characteristic ofy the,so-called pass-type of doors. v j l The sections a-b and 00L-b areconnected by'theiisual flexible connecting means conimon`to kdoo-rskofthe so-ealled counterbalancedftype, Apermitting and causing thesimultaneousmovement of these sections in opposite `directions uponparallel vertical planesvduringthe opening and closing movement of thedoors. j Y

, :The foregoing construction is old and well known in; this art, myinvention relating more particularly to `aconstruction in which thepocke-t formed between the upper door section and the wallv of` theelevatorshaftv is iso closed under, all conditions as to prevent thepassage of flames, smoke or gases across r,the top of this door towithin the floor,

of'abuildingthe opening of which is closed thereby, or'from said floorto `within the Carried bythejdoor sectioinmore remote fremniewau of unShaft is a.' Shield f which extends acrossv the .top of said doorsection, toward `andinto close proximityto tlie'wall of a shaft abovethe lintel of the door openi-ngAnor rI provide the doo-r sectionwitli'pivotal supports for Athis shield consisting ofltrunnion fitting gco-operating the top v.bar thereof.

with brackets h secured to the opposite side bars of the door andprojected upwardly of y These fittings and brackets are s o set` thatthe trunnions lcome close to'v the face ofy the door presentedtoward-the wall of a shaft and are'so set below'the shield as to permitthe shield, when' actuated by engagement with the section of thedoorabove, to assume a position parallel with ,the-...section carrying it,and thus occupy theqfminiinum of space and afford sufficient-,clearanceat the entrance to the fpocketgforjthe reception ofsaid section` ofthedoor for. thegopening on the floor above. Secured to,orforming a partofthe shield f is lan anglejpositioned adjacent the face ofr the door`section presented inwardly of the shaft andextendinginto closerproximity to, ory in engaging relation with,.thetop bartheredfQ/Theyshield f and'angle z' extend forlgsubstantially the entire`width f of the door, iny factbeingslightly in excess of thewidthofithejdoorto the extent of the thickness of the brackets h. Theupper face of c said brackets may be ycurved where required to permitthe free pivotal kmovement ofthe shield f and angle i. Theconstructionof said shield and said angle issuch as to form a sufficiently tightjoint above the top of the y door section proper to form a. barrieradequate to prevent the passage of any material volume of Haines, smokeor gases. n y

. Acting upon the shield f is means which will permit pivotal movementlof said shield as a result of the engagement'between same and the doorsection vat an adjacent floor,

whether this engagement results from. the.

movement of the section carrying thesliield or the movement of saidother section, andV .section carrying same and the wall ofthe shaft,orwhether itis turned so as to position the shield parallel with thedoor as a result ofthe -movement of thefdoor section c carrying same, orthe co-operating door section closing an opening at the adjacent floor,

yThe construction of the shield, andthe manner of mounting same as abovede-` scribed, results in a condition in which the shield f has a normaltendency toassume and remain in a. horizontal plane, but under normalconditions is free to haver pivot-al movement as a result of relativemovement of the door section carrying same and the door section adaptedto enter the pocket closed byY this shield.

In the form of the invention sliown,-tlie.

door section adapted to engage or be en-` gaged by the shield f isprovided with a bevelledV toe guard and Haine angle 71:,tlie pitch ofwhich is approximately 459. 'This angle is riveted or otherwise securedto the lower bar of the door section'carrying. same, and e, projectsdownwardly toward the wall of the shaft extending Vin fairly closeproximity to said wall.

section carrying the shield, engages .the shield f adj acentthe wall ofthe shaft, thus ensuring a gradual movement of the'shield and lesseningthe danger of breakage of` parts through a too'violent or rapid movementof said shield. f

By the normal operation of -the door, Iv

have reference to the ordinary procedure of.

opening and closing the doorby the opera- This shield in the movement'of` the door section carrying same, ortlie doorV io; Y

tor when the elevator car is in ordinary use. In the event of fire,however, and the development of an excessive temperature about the dooras a result, it is desirable to reduce the fire hazard due to the pocketbetween the door section andthe wall of the shaft by preventing thisshield from functioning in its normal manner. To secure this result, Iprovide means operative to prevent the pivotal movement of the door,which means is normally maintained in its inoperative relation by afusible medium so that it will come into operation only as a result ofthe melting of this mediums In lthel form of the invention shown, themeans for preventing pivotal movement of the door consists of a hardenedbolt or pin m slidably mounted in a pocket m formed in either or bothfittings g' and opening downwardly of these fittings when the shield fis in its horizontal position. Such a bolt or pin is preferably mountedin each trunnion fitting g so as to afford supporting means thereforhaving pivotal movement with the door, and preferably is surfaced withcopper or some other non-corrosive material so as to minimize likelihoodof its failure to operate in an emergency after a long period of disuse.The pin is normally held in position within its recess by a fusiblebarrier n. closing or partially closing the open end of the recess.

Formed in theV top bar of the door section a or a, and carrying theshield, is a socket o adapted to receive this bolt. It is not essentialthat the bolt shall b'e mounted in the trunnion fitting g, the use ofthis fitting for this purpose being merely a matter of economy andconvenience.

In the accompanying drawings, the door sections ril-a are shown as beingprovided with the usual or customary offset astragal construction p, andthe sections b-Zi with the usual truck bar g, and its toe guard .rprojecting to a point below the co-operating section of the door. Theupper door sections a-a are provided with the usual bumpers s.

The operation of the herein described elevator door is substantially asfollowsz- In warehouses using doors of the general construction hereinreferred to, all doors in a shaft are supposed to be closed except whenan elevator car is at a floor, and the doer is open to permit ingressto, or exit from, the fioor by way of the elevator. When the doors areso closed, the shield of each door will be in horizontal position,

, as shown in Figs. l and 2 of the drawings,

thus effectively closing thegap between the door carrying same and thewall of a shaft. The pass-type of door requires for its operation, doorsat adjacent door openings adapted to co-operate with each other to theextent of moving the shield or movable lintel during the openingmovement of either of these doors. For example, in opening the door atthe opening A, the door at the opening B remains closed, butnevertheless the door section b in its descent during its openingmovement, by reason of the short distance between the sill of theopening A and the lintel of the opening B must pass between the sectiona of the door opening B and the wall of the shaft, and in so doing mustengage and actuate the shield f carried by the door section a, to permitthe section Z) to enter the pocket formed between this section and thewall of a shaft, or to lap the section a.

As the flame angle or toe guard 7c engages the shield f close to thewall of a shaft, it will cause said shield to pivot about the trunnionfittings g and assume a parallel position with relation to both sectionsand af, this movement, by reason of the inclination of the angle orguard it' being more or less gradual according to the speed of movementof the section Ordinarily the initial opening movement of a door is slowso that there is little likelihood of the breakage of the trunnionfittings g or brackets It while y thus actuating the shield.

As the shield is thus turned upon its pivot, the counterweights 7' willbe so moved as to bring them to a position where they will exert theirmaximum effect in overbalancing the portion of the shield f between thetrunnions of the fittings g and the wall of a shaft, and be so offcenter as to ensure a return pivotal movement of the shield with themovement of the door as this is permitted by the passage of the flameangle or toe guard k past the upper portion of the door section a andits shield f. This same operative effect is secured when the door at theopening B is opened, the sole difference being that the section a ofthis door has movement in relation to the section Z) so as to passinwardly of it and the shaft. In either instance the operation of theshield results from its engagement with, and disengagement from, thedoor section at an adjacent floor.

Under normal conditions the bolt m is retained within its recess m bythe fusible barrier n, thus offering no obstruction to the pivotalmovement of the shield. In the event of fire, however, it is desirableto make the barrier afforded by the shield f and its angle z' permanentwhen the temperature about the door is sufficiently high, as by thepresence of a flame either .on the shaft or on the floor side of thedoor, to make the passage of flames and smoke across the top of theupper door section imminent. Furthermore, under some conditions thestream from a hose may be directed against this shield, or aconsiderable volume of water may flow from a floor above, both of which,if the shield were; not restrained to prevent its pivotal movement,would per- Init such Water to pass' from the shaft to uponthe floor,the; doorl opening of which is closed by. a door. With any serious lire,there is valways a likelihood of back drafts, which, if the shield were`not restrained, would cause the actuation ofl this shield, and` thuspermit flames, smoke and'gases to follow from the shaft to the iioorof abuilding about a door, through the door opening close-d byl saidr door.These results can Vfollow only'when aV fire'fhasreached a' point wherevthetemperature about a door hasbecome materially elevated, so that thiselevated temperature can be relied upon with a reasonable degree ofcertainty to melt the fusible medium n and permit the bolt m todropwithin the socket 0in the top bar of a door carrying a shield fbefore there has been opportunity for any of thesejagencies to actuatethe shield in the f manner described. Y

`Byusing a hardened steel bolt m the shield maybe held sufficientlyfirmly to resist tlie force of a stream of water, or the suction fromback drafts. By coating this bolt with copper or other non-oxidizingmaterial, Vthe likelihood of itspfreezing in position through corrosionafter long non-use, is avoided. In fact this bolt mechanism is merely aprecautionary expedient, and in many instances occasion requiring it toact will never arise. If, however, there should be such an occasion, theconstruction and conditions must be such as to ensure reasonablecertainty of its functioning.r

By using a gravity bolt, spring action is not reliedL upon, and infactin fireproof structures, wherein the fire hazard is a factor, the use ofsprings is to be deprecated. Ity is for this Y same reason thatthecounterweights j are used instead of'springs acting upon the shield,since such weights are morereliable than springs would be.

The desired results can be secured; only by mounting the shield f uponthe door section itself, sov that itvhas movement with the door duringthe opening and closing movements thereof while being positioned withinthe lshaft and above the lintel-of the door in a manner toeffectivelysupplement the lintel 'of the door opening in closing theshaft about thetop :of the opening adjacent the door structure.l 1

It may be" noted that the direction of a `strearr'r of water, or theaction vof back drafts toward the shaft from a-floor of a buildingcannot in anyway operate the shield since the angle z' will 'limitthemovement of the shield in passing from the vertical to a horizontalposition. l f w It is not my intention to limit the invention to theprecise details of construction shown in the drawings, it being apparentthat such may be varied in adapting the invention to doors of differentdimensions or designs, Without departing from the spirit and scope-ofthe invention. i

Having described the invention, what I claim as new yand desire to haveprotected by Letters Patent, is i y 'i 1. An elevator door embodyingtherein connected sections having simultaneous vertical movement inopposite directions, guides for said sections respectivelyrextending inparallel planes whereby one of said sections is more remote from thewall ofthe shaft than the other,-a shield carriedfby the section moreremote from the wall of the elevator shaft, and extending therefrom intoclose proximity to said wall, pivotal supports for said shield, andmeans acting upon said shield whereby pivotal movement thereof ispermitted upon engagement between same and a door section at an adjacentlanding,v to afford clearance for relative movement of said doorsections, and said shield is caused to automatically assume its normalposition when it is disengaged from said other door section.I

:2. An elevator kdoor embodying therein the section more remote from thewall of the elevator shaft, and extending therefrom into close proximityto said wall, pivotal sup-' ports for saidv shield, means acting uponsaid shield whereby pivotal movement thereof is ,permitted uponengagement between same and a door section at an adjacent landing, toafford clearance for vrelative movement of said door sections, and saidshield is caused vto automatically assume its normal position when itisdisengaged from said other door section, means whereby pivotal movementof said shield may be prevented, and a fusible medium normally makinglsaid lastnamed means inoperative, but rpermitting it to becomeoperative in the event of fire.

3. An elevator door embodying therein connected sections havingsimultaneous vertical movement in opposite directions, guides for Isaidvsectionsrespectively extending in parallel planes whereby one of saidsections is more remotefriom the wallV of the elevator shaft?, a-shieldcarried by the section more remotefrom the wall of the shaft, andextending therefrom `into close proximity to said wall, pivotal supportsfor saidrshield, and weights carried by said shield and overbalancingsame, whereby said shield is permitted to have pivotal movement uponengagement between same and a door section at an adjacentfloor `toafford clearance for relative movement of said door sections, and iscaused to automatically assume its normal position when it is disengagedfrom said other door section.

4. An elevator door embodying therein connected sections havingsimultaneous vertical movement in opposite directions, guides for saidsections respectively extending in parallel planes whereby one of saidsect-ions is more remote from the wall of the shaft than the other, ashield carried by the sec.- tion more remote from-the wall of theelevator shaft, and extending therefrom into close proximity to saidwall, pivotal supports for said shield, an angle carried by the edge ofsaid shield above and extending toward and into substantial engagementwith the top of a door section whereby the space between said shield andsaid door section is closed, and means acting upon said shield wherebypivotal movement thereof is permitted upon engagement. between same anda door section at an adjacent landing, to afford clearance for relativemovement of said door sections, and said shield is caused toautomatically assume its normal position when it is disengaged from saidother door section.

5. An elevator door embodying therein connected sections havingsimultaneous vertical mo-vement in opposite directions, guides for saidsect-ions respectively extending` in parallel planes whereby one of saidsections is more remote from the wall of the shaft than the other, ashield carried by the section moreremote from the wall of the elevatorshaft, and extending therefrom into close proximity to said wall,pivoted supports for said shield, an angle carried by the edge of saidshield above and extending toward and into substantial engagement withthe top of a door section whereby the space between said shield and saiddoor section is closed, and weights carried by said shield andoverbalancing same, whereby said shield is permitted to have pivotalmovement upon engagement between same and a door section at an adjacentfloor to afford clearance for relative movement of said door sections,and is caused to automatically assume its normal position when it isdisengaged from said other door section.

6. An elevator door embodying therein connected sections havingsimultaneous vertical movement in opposite directions, guides for saidsections respectively extending in parallel planes whereby one of saidsections is more remote from the wall of the shaft than the other, ashield carried by the section more remote from the wall of the elevatorshaft, and extending therefrom into close proximity to said wall,pivotal supports for said shield, an angle carried by the edge of saidshield above and extending toward and into substantial engagement withthe top of a door sect-ion whereby the space between said shield andsaid door section is closed, weights carried by said shield andoverbalancing same, whereby said shield is permitted tol have pivotalmovement upon engagement between same and a door section at an adjacentfloor to afford clearance for relative movement of said door sections,and is caused to automatically assume its normal position when it isdisengaged from said other door section, means whereby pivotal movementof said shield may be prevented, and a fusible medium normally makingsaid last named means inoperative, but permitting it to become operativein the event of lire.

T. An elevator door embodying therein connected sections havingsimultaneous vertical movement in opposite directions, guides for saidsections respectively extending in parallel planes whereby one of saidsections is more remote from the wall of the shaft than the other, ashield carried by the section more remote from the wall of the elevatorshaft, and extending therefrom into close proximity to said wall,pivotal supports for said shield, means acting upon said shield wherebypivotal movement thereof is permitted upon engagement between same and adoor section at an adjacent floor, to afford clearance for relativemovement of said door sections, and said shield is caused toautomatically assume its normal position when it is disengaged from saidother' door section, means carried by and movable with said shieldhaving a recess therein which extends vertically when the shield extendshorizontally, a bolt slidably mounted in said opening, the door sectioncarrying said shield having a socket therein adapted to receive saidbolt, and a fusible medium normally retaining said bolt within saidrecess.

8. An elevator door embodying therein connected sections havingsimultaneous vertical movement in opposite directions, guides for saidsections respectively extending in parallel planes whereby-one of saidsections is more remote from the wall of the shaft than the other, ashield carried by the section more remote from the wall of the elevatorshaft, and extending therefrom into close proximity to said wall,pivotal supports for said shield, means acting upon said shield wherebypivotal movement thereof is permitted upon engagement be` tween same anda door section at an adjacent fioor, to afford clearance for relativemovement of said door sections, and said shield is caused toautomatically assume its normal position when it is disengaged from saidother door section, means carried by and movable with said shield havinga recess therein which extends vertically when loo thesheld extendshorizontally, a bolt, having Aits surface provided with a nonoxidizablecoat, slidably mounted in said opening, the door section carrying saidshield having a socket therein adapted to receive said bolt, and afusible medium normallyy retaining said bolt within said recess.

9. An elevator door embodying therein connected sectionshavingsimultaneous vertical movement in opposite directions, guides for saidsections respectively extending in parallel planes whereby one of saidsections is more remote from the wall of the shaft than the other, ashield carried by the section more remote from the wall of the elevatorshaft, and extending therefrom into close proximity to said wall,pivotal supports for said shield, an angle carried by the edge of saidshield above kand extending toward and into substantial engagement withthe top of a door section whereby the space between said shield and saiddoor section is closed, weights carried by said shield and overbalancingsame, whereby said shield is permitted to have pivotal movement uponengagement between samey and a door sec-- tion at an adjacent oor toafford clearance for relative movement of said door sections, and iscaused to automatically assume its normal position when it is disengagedfrom said other door section, means carried by and movable with saidshield having a recess therein which extends vertically when the shieldextends horizontally, a bolt slidably mounted in said opening, the doorsection carrying said shield having a socket therein adapted to receivesaid bolt, and a fusible medium normally retaining said bolt within saldrecess.

10. An elevator door embodying therein connected sections havingsimultaneous vertical movement in guides for said sections respectivelyextending in parallel planes whereby one of said sections is more remotefrom the wall of thek shaft than the other, a shield carried by thesection more remote from the elevator shaft and extending therefrom intoclose proximity to said wall, coi-operating brackets and trunnionfittings carried by said door section and said shield respectively, anangle carried by the edge of said shield and extending towardy and intosubstantial engagement with the top of a door section, whereby the spacebetween said shield and said door section is closed, weights carried bysaid shield and overbalancing same, whereby said shield is permitted tohave pivotal movement upon engagement between same and the door sectionat an adjacent opposite directions,

Hoor to afford clearance for relative movefixed my signature this Lithday of Decemf ber, 1924.

CHARLES lV. PEELLE.

